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North Korea: confused and confusing

Is North Korea heading towards a food crisis in the winter of 2012? Yes! Will it be a “great famine” like in the 90ies? No! Why so? Rumor has been that the North Korean government decided to “reform” its markets. Of course, when the North Korean regime speaks about markets or reform, they use these […]

16 October , 2012Comments Off on North Korea: confused and confusingRead More

[Korea Report] Itaewon Global Village Festival 2012 held on Oct. 12-14

Itaewon Global Village, a festival in Itaewon, Seoul, started Friday (Oct. 12) to go through Monday (Oct. 14). During the performances, outdoor booths selling various commodities and food were in operation. A variety of cultural performances from various countries were to take place. According to its official page, Itaewon Global Village Festival has been started from 2008 […]

16 October , 2012Comments Off on [Korea Report] Itaewon Global Village Festival 2012 held on Oct. 12-14Read More

Economic reforms in NK forecasted to accompany political liberalization

It is too early to say with any certainty, but appears increasingly likely that Kim Jong Un and his advisors are going to initiate reforms in North Korea, generally in emulation of the well-tested and very successful Chinese model. Of course, the major emphasis is on transformation of industrial management and property relations, or to […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on Economic reforms in NK forecasted to accompany political liberalizationRead More

[Indonesia Report] Indonesian President grants clemency to drug-related convicts

Drugs convict, Schapelle Corby, an Australian, has been once again granted clemency by Indonesian Authority. Earlier, Indonesian President granted 5 years clemency to her 20 years prison term on May 15, 2012. This August, Indonesian authority granted 6 months remission to her sentence, making her eligible to apply for a parole. The remission was given on the occasion of the Indonesia […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on [Indonesia Report] Indonesian President grants clemency to drug-related convictsRead More

Korea, Japan at each other’s throats

LOS ANGELES ― Look before you leap. This is a venerable American saying. Look carefully before you leap emotionally. So if I were one of the good people of the Republic of Korea, for whom my admiration is deep, long-standing and well-known (my Japanese friends understand me well), I would be prudent about my next […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on Korea, Japan at each other’s throatsRead More

Pakistan irked by shooting of schoolgirl

In a bit of encouraging news out of a nation that has produced few of them, a broad spectrum of Pakistan has become enraged by a Taliban attempt to murder a 14-year-old schoolgirl as she rode a school bus home. The Washington Post reported that the attempted killing “united Pakistanis from across social divides” ― […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on Pakistan irked by shooting of schoolgirlRead More

What can K-pop learn from Psy?

“By satirizing standard K-pop tropes in Gangnam Style, Psy may have subverted K-pop’s chances of making it big in the West,” writes John Seabrook in the Annals of Music section of this week’s New Yorker magazine. Insightful, yes, but true? Not so fast. There are many aspects of the Korean character that I came to […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on What can K-pop learn from Psy?Read More

Political experiment in Korea

Koreans are experiencing an extraordinary three-way presidential race among Park Geun-hye of the ruling Senuri Party, Moon Jae-in of the opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) and independent Ahn Cheol-soo. The election is two months away, but it is too early to predict who will be the next president. Polls show as of this week that […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on Political experiment in KoreaRead More

[Korea Report] Gamin’s 3rd concert of eight sounds concert series held at hanok in Seoul

Gamin, Korean traditional instrument musician, held her third concert of four concert series. This time, the concert was held in a beautiful Hanok (traditional Korean house) in Seoul, Friday night (October 12). Gamin played three kind of Korean traditional instrument and entertained the audience for a full one hour. She played Piri, a small instrument with a […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on [Korea Report] Gamin’s 3rd concert of eight sounds concert series held at hanok in SeoulRead More

Personal blogs turn into best-selling books in Egypt

Blogging has become something we’re really familiar with, especially in the Middle East. Middle East bloggers mainly talk politics, Entertainment, and personal issues and daily problems. But imagine when a girl talks on her blog about her daily adventures in finding her “Future Husband” and then this blog gets turned into a book that sells […]

15 October , 2012Comments Off on Personal blogs turn into best-selling books in EgyptRead More